The Joy of Gaming Podcast, Episode 78:
Next-Gen Console Chat and The Game Awards 2020

On this episode of The Joy of Gaming Podcast, we (Rich and Jordan) emerge once more from the COVID void with a brand new episode and A LOT of great stuff to talk about. That's because 2020 has gifted us with brand new gaming consoles - Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X|S - and nothing will ever be the same again...or will it? Either way, we have played each of the new consoles, and have lots of opinions about their super fast load times, the veritable trickle of high-quality new games, and our hopes for the very near gaming future. 

But new consoles aren't the only thing the end of 2020 has gifted us with. That's because Geoff Keighley's annual celebration of all things gaming - The Game Awards 2020 - has aired, and with it, we got a number of new game announcements, glossy trailers, and hit-or-miss awards in various categories to discuss. From the sweeping (though controversial) award dominance of The Last of Us: Part 2, to the unending clamor for this year's massive hit Hades to get even more praise, and the many games that found themselves somewhere in the middle, there is a lot to discuss here, and we're happy to be the ones to do it. 

So join us, as we rejoin forces to celebrate a medium that has only become more important this past year of quarantine, and continues to evolve in exciting and surprising ways. This...is the Joy of Gaming!

The Joy of Geek Podcast, Episode 79:
The Best Indie Comic Adaptations, DC Fandome, Celebrating C.B.’s Life

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On this episode of The Joy of Geek Podcast, we (Rich, Jordan and Kevin) regroup in the midst of this crazy pandemic to discuss our favorite indie comic book adaptations. To qualify, the adaptation could NOT be based on a mainline Marvel/DC Superhero property (though sub-imprints like Vertigo and Icon were fair game), and the adaptations could be to any form of media, including film, television, video games, etc. With those parameters in mind, we came out with some pretty interesting “best of” lists, including quite a few surprise picks.

But before turning our attention to Image, Dark Horse, Vertigo and the like, we discuss some of the biggest mainstream geek culture news of recent weeks, including a look at all the biggest trailers and announcements coming out of DC Fandome - The Batman, The Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman 1984, and Justice League: The Snyder Cut to name a few. We also take some time to celebrate the life of Chadwick Boseman, and the amazing impact he has had on both the world of media, and more importantly, the world at large.

So join us, as we take a journey limited only by the imaginations of independent comics creators everywhere, delve into a discussion of Todd Snyder and contemplate the unlikely possibility that he’s secretly a genius, and celebrate a man who seemed to really understand the meaning of life. This…is the Joy of Geek!

The Joy of Gaming Podcast, Episode 77:
GOTY: The Best Video Games of 2019

On this episode of the Joy of Gaming Podcast, we (Rich and Jordan), return after a year-long hiatus to celebrate the best video games of 2019. It was a year that gave us so much to love - including Resident Evil 2, Untitled Goose Game, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Control - as well as some mediocre titles like Crackdown 3, and some pretty astounding disappointments as well (of which Anthem and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order spring quickly to mind). But when it’s time for our annual GOTY conversations, a wide range of quality leads to a nice colorful array of categories, where the best and worst of the year are discussed, celebrated, and lambasted in appropriate measure. 

Keeping with TJOG tradition, the categories include:

-Top 3 Best Games (and HMs)-
-Best Character-
-Best Story-
-Worst Game-
-Most Disappointing Game-
-Most Surprising Game-
-Best “New to Me” Game-
…and some surprises along the way!

So join us, as we turn back the clock a few months, and celebrate the art of immersion, fantasy, escape, realism and so much more. This…is the Joy of Gaming!

The Joy of Geek Podcast, Episode 78:
<Quarantine Edition, Part 2> The Best in Film 2019

On this episode of The Joy of Geek Podcast, we (Rich, Kevin and Jordan) return with our second episode recorded during the Covid-19 quarantine, and we’re making up for lost time and bringing you our “Best in Film 2019” episode. And although these “year in review” episodes are generally recorded in the December/January timeframe, the extra few months have given us all time to catch up on many of last year’s best movies. In other words, we’re ready to GO.

And what a year 2019 was for film, right? From highly-lauded masterpieces like Parasite and 1917, to blockbusters like Avengers: Endgame and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, to artistic experiments like The Lighthouse, and far, far beyond, there were a lot of notable movies released last year – some very good and some very, very disappointing. We’ll run through our regular categories to discuss the best and worst that 2019 had to offer, and hopefully run into some cool surprises along the way.

So join us, as we celebrate the joy of cinema, and pine for the good old days when we could sit in an actual movie theater and be taken on an amazing journey. And hopefully (with a little luck) we’ll all be back to the movies soon. This…is the Joy of Geek!

The Joy of Geek Podcast, Episode 77:
<Quarantine Edition> Reunion Special and Bloodshot Review

On this episode of The Joy of Geek Podcast, we (Rich, Kevin and Jordan) return for a reunion special, here in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic. We’ll be discussing where we’ve been for the past year (or so), why the podcast has been on hiatus, and perhaps most importantly, what we’ve been watching, reading and playing over the past few months.

We also discuss Bloodshot, the new comic-book-inspired “Blockbuster” from Sony Pictures and Valiant Entertainment, starring Vin Diesel, Guy Pearce, Eiza Gonzalez and Lamorne Morris. This was supposed to be the film that launched Valiant into the mainstream, but Covid19 closed movie theaters only days after its release, and the film was quickly sent to VOD. That didn’t stop us however, and we’ll give you our recap and review.

So join us, as we make up for lost time, stay inside to wait out the pandemic, and discuss everything from Animal Crossing: New Horizons, to Devs, to The Black Cauldron. This…is the Joy of Geek!

The Joy of Geek Podcast, Episode 76:
The Best TV of 2018

On this episode of The Joy of Geek Podcast, we get the full band back together - Rich, Kevin and Jordan - for the first of our "Best of 2018" episodes. And where better to start than with Television, and our look at the very finest network, cable and streaming entertainment this past year had to offer.

From new shows like The Haunting at Hill House, Titans and Homecoming, to brilliant returning favorites like The Good Place, American Vandal and Westworld - we each watched over 500+ scripted shows this past year to bring you this list. Okay, okay, that's clearly not true, but we do watch a lot of TV.

This year's categories include:
Most Surprising Show
Worst Show
Best Character
Best Actor/Actress
Best First Season
Best Episode
Top 3 Best Shows
...and more!

So join us, as we attempt to bring some semblance of order to the chaos of the modern TV landscape, and sum up one heck of a year for entertainment's most crowded and varied medium. This...is the Joy of Geek!

The Joy of Geek Podcast, Episode 75:
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Review and SpoilerCast

On this episode of The Joy of Geek Podcast, we (Rich and Kevin) review one of the biggest, most anticipated films of the year, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. And to do so, we welcome Harry Potter expert / Pottermore scholar Jacob Deal, to help us discuss the film and explore all of its fascinating secrets. And since this is a SpoilerCast, Jacob also shares his stunning theory about the film’s ending and the true nature of Grindelwald’s plan, and it’s a pretty airtight case.

But before we tear J.K. Rowling’s plot to shreds in search of the truth, we’ve got some other  geek culture news to discuss, including: the passing of the legendary Stan Lee, the casting of Pedro Pascal in The Mandalorian, the behind-the-scenes origins of Poe Dameron, and more. We also discuss what we’ve been watching and reading, including Doctor Who’s Eleventh Series and Jodie Whittaker, Star Trek: Discovery, The Creepy Line, Titans, Young Justice, DC Daily and much, much more.

So join us, as we reveal Credence’s true identity, debate J.K. Rowling’s competence as a world-builder, recast the role of Grindelwald, and discover the hidden secret of Pottermore - all in one, jam-packed episode. This...is The Joy of Geek!

The Joy of Gaming Podcast, Episode 76:
Revisiting GOTY 2015, Diablo Immortal, Final Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Direct

On this episode of The Joy of Gaming Podcast, we (Rich and Jordan) go back in time to 2015 to discuss our favorite games from year brought us The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Fallout 4, Until Dawn, Life is Strange, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 and so much more. We actually missed our chance to record this episode three years ago, but since then we've had a lot more time to play and reflect on 2015's crop of titles, and we're ready to fill in this gap with the added benefit of hindsight.

Our 2015 GOTY Awards Include:
Most Surprising Game
Most Disappointing Game
Worst Game
Best Character ​
Honorable Mentions
...and the Top 3 Best Games of 2015!

We also keep one foot firmly pla​nted in the present to discuss two big news stories in the gaming world: The backlash over the Diablo Immortal announcement at BlizzCon, and the final Nintendo Direct for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. And as always, we talk about some of the games we've been playing recently, including Assassin's Creed Odyssey, the opening hours of Red Dead Redemption 2, Grim Fandango on Switch, Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters, Dead Space 3 Co-op and more.

So join us, as we fill in a conspicuous hole in our episode library, and answer the age-old question: "Just how long does it take to finish The Witcher 3?" This...is the Joy of Gaming!

The Joy of Geek Podcast, Episode 74:
The Haunting of Hill House, Halloween (2018), Daredevil S3 and Titans

On this decidedly spooky episode of The Joy of Geek Podcast, we (Rich and Kevin) discuss two of the biggest hits of the Halloween season: Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House and Blumhouse’s Halloween (2018). Aside from their genre, Hill House and Halloween have something else in common: they are both semi-reboots of classic properties, re-imagined to appeal to a new audience. We’ll weigh in on the success of each, and discuss their overall significance in the modern media landscape.

In addition to horror offerings, this season has given us two bold new superhero series to sink our teeth into - Daredevil Season 3 and Titans on the DC Universe app - and we’ve got a lot to say about each. We also discuss some recent news, including: a swath of Netflix series cancellations including Iron Fist and Luke Cage, other cancellations throughout TV, a release date and director announcement for DC’s Birds of Prey film, Ewan McGregor (possibly) playing Black Mask, A Flash Gordon reboot, and much, much more.

So join us, as we meet the Doom Patrol for the first time, turn into a green tiger and then show up at Netflix’s HQ to complain about the recent cancellation of American Vandal. This...is the Joy of Geek!

The Joy of Gaming Podcast, Episode 75:
Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, Super Mario Party and Our Multiplayer Gaming History

On this episode of The Joy of Gaming Podcast, we (Rich and Jordan) discuss two of the most anticipated Fall gaming releases - Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey and Super Mario Party for Nintendo Switch - and take a nostalgia-fueled look back at the multiplayer games that had the greatest impact on us, from the NES/Genesis era until today.

We also discuss two of the biggest stories in gaming right now - the unfortunate and unexpected shuttering of Telltale Games, and the recent comments made by Rockstar Games CEO Dan Houser about 100-hour work weeks. Both of these stories inevitably lead us to the topic of crunch and overwork, as well as workers rights within the gaming industry.

So join us, as we celebrate yet another incredible Fall gaming season, and do our best to remember that it’s people and passion that make these games possible. This...is the Joy of Gaming!